Blood Drive
by a ship nerd
Summary: Previously Titled Crimson Tears. In this story, a monster, a murder, an extinct race of bats, and a rabbit named Judy. "I'm cold. I hate being cold." These words I said to the rabbit. "That does't answer the question," she said. "Why are you doing this?" I look at her for a moment. "I'm a monster." I finally replied. "The whole world thinks so, and so do you." Slight vampire AU.
1. Chapter 1

What is this?

Who am I?

What am I?

More questions I don't know, I know nothing. I feel something hard and rough beneath me. It's cold. I don't like it. I can feel the air above me, it's cold too. Everything's cold. Why is it cold? Why is it cold?! I HATE THE COLD.

I try to move, I only slosh around. I feel things, I know things, but how do I know them? That doesn't matter right now, I need to get away from the cold. But where can I go? I'm just a…

What am I?

I can feel, but it's a different kind of feel. I can feel the cracks and the roughness of the ground explicitly. I'm in some kind of a liquid form. Wait, liquid? That can't be right, I'm supposed to have something sold in me right? So what am I doing as a liquid?

I can move, but only a little. I don't have the strength to move a lot as a liquid. Don't have the energy. Maybe I should try to bring myself together, in some kind of solid form? I pull the edges of my 'puddle' closer to my center. I pull the inside closer. I pull my bottom center up. I have legs. Or partial legs. They support me, I lose my balance. I fall forward.

I hit the ground with a slap. It hurts, but only for a moment. I spread apart from the fall. I get colder. I bring myself together again. I feel less cold. I have to get out of here. Out of the cold. I pull myself up, I have legs. I don't want to fall again. I don't lose my balance. I stand.

I feel an appendage on each side of my 'body' parallel to my legs. Arms? I think they're arms. I have arms.

I'm solidifying, but I'm also still a liquid without much shape. What should I look like? I only have one from, one body in mind. I pull myself closer together, my form taking shape. My senses begin to develop. I feel my eyes. I can't see. Something is blocking them. I draw a paw up. There's a layer of skin over my eyes. Eye lids. How do I know that? It doesn't matter. I just have to open my eyes.

And so I do.

It's dark.

It was night-time. That's why it's cold.

I look down at my paw. There isn't much to describe. It's just a paw. I return my paw to my side. I look forward. I look around. I'm in a city alleyway. Directly in front of me is a side walk down a way. I need to get out there. I could find someplace warm.

How do I get there?

Walking! I don't know how to walk. Well I do. But I've never walked before. I look down my legs. I notice I'm naked. That's why I can't stay warm. I lift a leg. I place it down in front of me. I put weight on it. It feels solid. I lift the other one. I place it in front of me. I walk. I feel myself leaning to my side. I fall.

I reach my paw out to stop the fall. It rubs on the ground. Pain. It hurts. It hurts! Oh it hurts! Red liquid leaks from it. I calm myself. I reach out to the liquid, pulling it back in. Like when I first pulled myself together. It doesn't hurt anymore! But now I feel weaker. I stand back up. I walk toward the end of the alley. I'm more careful this time. I don't fall. I make it.

I look around. Animals are walking across the street. Should I go to them?

No.

I'll let them come to me. That is if they want to. I'll stand here for a moment. Hey! There's another animal coming toward me! She looks like a… fox? How do I know that? It doesn't matter. She walks up to me. She asks me who I am, what I'm doing out here, where my parents are. I respond "I don't know," to each question. She looks at me with sadness.

Then I feel it.

The red liquid that I was originally, it was flooded in her system. I can hear her heart beating. She stretches her arm out to me. I take it in my paws. I don't notice her look. I sniff the arm.

I bite it. She screams. I begin to drain the life-giving liquid. Not a lot. But after that I don't feel weak anymore. I let go. I smile at her. I notice her look. Fear? Is that fear? Is she afraid of me?

"You monster."

Monster? She thinks I'm a monster? I'm not a monster. Right?

"YOU MONSTER!" She runs away, clutching her arm. The arm I bit.

She's gone.

She ran away.

She left me alone.

I still feel the warmth of her crimson inside me. It feels so good to be at least a bit warm. It won't last. I will need more. How to get more? I'll need help. Won't be able to get that close to someone without them thinking I'm a monster. I don't want to be a monster.

But I will be one if it means survival.

I will be one to live.

I will be one, to stay warm.


	2. Chapter 2

_*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *click*._

Judy Hopps rubbed her eyes as she sat up in her bed. She took a deep breath and stretched. After that, she got out of bed and proceeded to get dressed. Usually by now she was fully awake and enthusiastic about her day to come. Today however, her morning routine lacked it's usual spark, and for a good reason.

Before she put her uniform on, she once again examined the scar on her side. It wasn't massive, but it was still very noticeable. She closed her eyes as she recalled how she received the scar.

Nick and her had been responding to a call that reported someone had robbed a gas station while they were on patrol. They chased the perpetrator into an alley, but then he started shooting. Neither Nick or Judy was expecting it, Judy was hit first. Nick managed to hit the robber before he got away with a tranquilizer, but Nick was also hit. An ambulance arrived, but not before both Nick and Judy had lost over 50% of their blood.

They had spent three days in the hospital, and four more days on paid leave. When they returned to work, the chief had given them almost nothing but paperwork for a week. The dynamic duo hated it of course. At the same time, they couldn't blame the chief. He was just making sure two of his finest officers had plenty of time to recover from their ordeal.

That still didn't mean they liked it.

Expecting another day of paperwork, Judy walked out of her apartment and headed to work.

…

My existence has only been about two weeks, but in those weeks I've grown stronger. I've gained enough crimson to last me for what I think should me another week. My understanding of the world has grown. My thoughts are longer, and more complete. I'm warm. I feel more alive.

I haven't killed anyone. I won't. I only take what I need, and then just a little more to sustain me longer.

I'm currently living in a cave outside the city, in the mountains. It's strangely warm up here. Not that I'm complaining. My sight is pretty good even in the dark. I haven't seen any living thing up here besides me. But I can imagine that those who see me may think I'm strange and they'd be right. The form I'm currently as is what I call my grey form.

My shape in this form resembles that of a fox's, but my color scheme is very different. The majority of my body is covered in a gray, besides just above my eyes, and the bottom half of my muzzle and face all the way down to the inside of my arms and legs. All of said area is instead a white. My fox tail also has a grey and white color scheme. I still have canine teeth… Well they're more like fangs. It's how I extract the crimson in my grey form.

By what I've gathered, legend would call me a vampire. But I think I'm more than that. There is no name to describe what I am. But I do have a name for my second form.

My other form is what call my crimson form. In it, I revert back into my original liquid state. I can move around in my crimson form, as I've gathered more energy than before.

I don't know how I was created however. I have no recollection of when my consciousness came to be. It didn't happen in a single instance, like the shaping of fingers, or an explosion from a stick of dynamite. My consciousness slowly formed together like a pup or kit would in the womb. Such as how I was created. Such was how I came to be.

Even so it was much faster than that of a kit in the womb. My state of being is difficult to describe, as I have no internal organs, no real skeletal system, no one solid mass that makes up my brain. I can take on the form of such things, but my coat is what really holds it all together. So it's not necessary. Not for me anyway.

I'm still looked upon as a monster. I feel, sad, depressed. I've cried. I've cried red. I have no water to turn into tears, I only have the crimson liquid. So when I cry I bleed. And when I bleed I cry. I hate being looked at in fear, but it's not like I have a choice. It's not like I could just walk right up to say a hospital and ask for a pint of crimson.

Crimson? I am now awhere that the true name for the liquid is actually blood. But I don't like that name. It makes me queasy. I prefer crimson. I feel it's more passive.

I've been going about my existence just trying to stay alive, and trying to stay warm. Recently I found a place called the Nocturnal District. I've heard about a strange species of bats that lives just outside the district. One that may just serve my interests.


	3. Chapter 3

Judy waited patiently for her assignment in the briefing room of the ZPD headquarters. Her day had so far been as slow as her morning when she awoke. Chief Bogo walked into the room with the case files and assignments for the day, and the room fell silent. He began going down the list of names and assignments, until only three names were left.

"Officer Higgins, west patrol.

"Officer Wilde, Paperwork."

"Go figure," Nick muttered under his breath as he got up and left the room. Now it was just Judy, she looked to the chief and was surprised to see him put the papers he had in his hoof down. He looked at her and took his reading glasses off.

"Come with me," he said to her as he walked toward the interrogation rooms. She followed close behind, and was shocked to see another rabbit behind the window. She ran over and pressed her face to the glass, eyes wide with surprise and confusion.

"Samantha," Judy whispered. "Sweet cheese and crackers, what are you doing in there?"

"Last night we found her in the alleyway of a dinar when we responded to a call. Apparently, some raccoon shot up the dinar with an smg. Everyone was found dead, except for her. Even the shooter was dead. Anyway, her last name is Hopps. I assume you're related?"

"She's a sister of mine, one of my littermates."

"That would explain it."

"Did the raccoon shoot himself?" she asked.

"No actually. We couldn't find a single bullet wound anywhere on his body, in fact he was out of bullets. There were cameras, but they didn't catch what happened in the alleyway. She may be the only one who knows. She hasn't been responding well, we think what happened may have traumatized her. I want you to talk to her."

She turned her head to him. "Why me?"

"You're a family member, a close one. Maybe she'll tell you?"

Judy turned back to the chief and thought about it for a moment.

"All right."

…

It had taken a while, but they had finally gotten her to speak. She was still terrified however. It was difficult to talk.

"I-I was at the dinar with some of my friends, when a raccoon with an uzi walked in and started shooting everyone. I managed to run out a side door into an alley, but he followed me."

She gulped, attempting to press past her fear.

"It's ok," Judy said. "Take your time." Samantha nodded.

"After he got into the alley, I was so scared I tripped on my own feet. He caught up to me, and held me hostage. He was talking about rapeing me. I screamed, and then I felt someone else's presence."

"There was someone else there?" Judy asked, thinking the stranger might have killed the raccoon.

"Y-yes," Samantha said as she closed her eyes trying to remember.

"It's ok Sam, what happened next?"

"The raccoon must have felt the presence too because he turned around and there was another mammal."

"What did he look like? Could you describe him for me?"

"Um, he was about, say the height of a fox. Uh, he had grey fur and wore a red trench coat. He wore a red wide brimmed hat, and he had a pair of red stained glasses on."

Judy's brow rose. "You mean like sunglasses?" she asked.

"I'm not sure… the weirdest thing about him was that his glasses were glowing."

"You mean, they reflected the moonlight?"

"No. I mean it seemed like his _eyes themselves_ were glowing _behind_ the glasses. That's how I knew the glasses were stained red. I-I know it sounds crazy but-"

"It's ok. Just keep going," Judy reassured.

"Ok. The raccoon who held me asked the stranger: "Who the hell are you?'. And the stranger replied…"

"What?" Judy asked after a moment of silence. "What did he reply?"

…

"H-He replied: "Your death."

…

"Your death?" Judy asked in a whisper.

"Yes; "Your death."

Judy swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Ok, keep going."

"Ok. The raccoon laughed and said: "My death? Oh really. Well this is pathetic." Then he turned his gun on the stranger and… shot him. He emptied his entire magazine into him. I-I could see the holes being made in his body, he just stood there and didn't try to move-"

"Sam," Judy interrupted. "Don't push yourself. Ignore the gory details, just tell us what happened next."

Judy was confused, Bogo hadn't told her about this stranger. If he had been shot that much, why wasn't the body at the scene of the crime?

"A-After he shot him, the body fell back onto the ground. The raccoon simply said: "Is that all you got?" He then laughed again. But once he finished…"

There was another moment of silence.

"...once he finished?" Judy said trying to get her to continue. This next part might be very important.

"O-Once he finished… the corpse started…"

"To do what?" Judy urged.

"To _laugh_! It started laughing like some demonic being!" Sam was deep in a panicked state, hyperventilating. "Then it just stood up! T-The movement was way to smooth. I-It looked like he didn't even use up any energy or muscles! Heck one of his arms was hanging on by just a piece of meat! And his smile! Oh God, his smile!"

"Whoa whoa, Sam. Calm down!" Judy said grabbing one of her paws. Sam's breathing slowly calmed, her heart rate returning to normal.

"Ok. Ok," Sam finally said.

"What happened next?"

Sam gulped once. "Ok. After the body stood up, I saw all the holes and wounds on him begin to close and heal. Even his arm pulled itself back into place. I guess that the raccoon was as terrified as myself because he let go of me and I kinda slumped to the ground. The... creature, then approached slowly. He still had that smile, all those fangs…" she shook her head. "Anyway, he got a couple of feet in front of the raccoon, then he ran towards him, before he…" Sam covered her mouth as she gagged for a brief moment. "Oh God…"

Judy leaned forward. "Before what? Before what Sam?"

Sam gulped the lump in her throat, forcing back down the bile that had been crawling up. Her eyes were wide, and her fear had set in as she relived the previous night's events. She didn't want to remember this next part; because this part, this was where the investigation would get beyond strange. This was where-

This was where the real horror would be awoken.

"The creature, he stabbed the raccoon in the chest!"

Judy blinked. "You mean he had a knife?"

"No. Just his paw… he stabbed the raccoon in the chest with his paw, with brute force. Then he…"

…

"Then he bit the raccoon on the neck. I saw a splatter of blood, I could hear the raccoon struggling. Then there was nothing. Just silence. I-I must have passed out, because the next thing I knew the police arrived, and the creature was gone."

"Ok Sam. It's ok," Judy reassured once again. "I'm going to go give my report to Chief Bogo, you going to be ok?" She asked.

Sam simply nodded in response. Smiling, Judy walked out of the questioning room and let her serious face settle on.

"What do you think?" Judy asked the chief as they stared out into the room from the one way window.

"What happened that night obviously was traumatizing for her," he blankly replied.

"Obviously. Her imagination also appears to have gotten the best of her. The creature she described can't possibly be real."

"Don't bet too much on that," the chief said quietly. Judy turned to him bewildered. He glanced down at her before looking back through the glass. "I didn't want to mention this until now, but the body of the raccoon had only about 13% of its blood _at best_ inside the body. There was almost none outside the body on the ground, and the only wound we found on it was on his neck. Even if his throat was slit, there couldn't be that much blood loss. Especially in the time it took for us to get to the dinar."

"What are you saying? That there's a vampire on the loose?"

"...no. However, something did happen last night, and possibly other nights too."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been in touch with the Police chief in the nocturnal district. He talked to me once and mentioned some strange cases he had discovered. It started with a vixen that had come in a few weeks ago. She reported finding a naked grey coated fox, beside an alleyway with no recollection as to how he got there. He apparently looked to be about 13 or 14 years old. The strangest thing about the case was that he apparently bit her arm, and it was found she had lost about 15-20% of her blood. She wasn't bleeding very much, she couldn't have bled that much from just her wounds."

"Again, are you saying that myth has turned to reality?"

"Once again, no. But something did happen. And because whoever is responsible has hurt a sister of yours. Because of that, I know I can't keep you away from this case, so I'm assigning this case to you. Good luck, Judy," Bogo said as he walked back to his office.

Judy watched him leave, then turned back to the glass. She clenched a fist.

"I'll find out who did this to you Sam. I won't let anyone else get hurt like you did."

It was a promise, she could never hope to keep.


End file.
